


The Cabinet Family

by CrestVoid



Category: DreamSMP, Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: And Tommy, Canon Relationships, Dad Jschlatt, Fluff and Crack, Fluff and Humor, Good Jschlatt (Video Blogging RPF), Hurt/Comfort, Hybrid Jschlatt, Jschlatt is not a villian, M/M, Multi, One Big Happy Family, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Platonic Relationships, Shapeshifting Technoblade, Slow Burn, They're a family your honor, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, actually everyone is confused at some point, confused wilbur, hes the good guy who makes some bad choices, hybrid quackity, hybrid tommy, hybrid tubbo, suggestions open as well
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-14
Updated: 2021-02-07
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:02:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 16,088
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28061361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrestVoid/pseuds/CrestVoid
Summary: Schlatt, Quackity, Tubbo, and Fundy are a family. A very chaotic one at that.Schlatt isn't the villain, he's actually trying to be right in his own way, with the help of the rest of the cabinet.
Relationships: Alexis | Quackity & Jschlatt, Alexis | Quackity & Toby Smith | Tubbo, Alexis | Quackity/Jschlatt, Floris | Fundy & Jschlatt, Jschlatt & Toby Smith | Tubbo, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Other Relationship Tags to Be Added, Quackity & Fundy
Comments: 50
Kudos: 775





	1. Beginnings

**Author's Note:**

> The relationships here are platonic, Quackity, and Schlatt's relationship are slightly based on the canon one. Just not abusive.

Before Quackity was placed into office, he would’ve told you Schlatt was a stone-cold, obnoxious, power-hungry bastard. Who he was only in favor of because he was a better choice than having Wilbur in office. Now he’d tell you that he’s a stone-cold, obnoxious, power-hungry bastard _and_ caring over his associates. 

Don’t get him wrong, Schlatt still wasn’t the best person, but when it came to who’d he rather want to be in power, yeah, the ram won by a long shot. The guy had some good ideals and was for bringing down the stupid walls that surrounded the place and that was all it really took to get Quackity on his side.

So, now he here was. In his office, now the vice president, tediously scanning through paperwork. He’d only been in office for only a couple of days and dear god was this boring. The excitement had long dissipated when Schlatt had come in and dumped a large pile of paperwork on his desk. The stupid things needed to be done within the week, which he bluntly laughed at and told the president that was fucking impossible without help. So, with some reluctance and a small glare he allowed Quackity to share the workload with Fundy. It was definitely less intimidating this way, and he was halfway done after three days.

He leaned back in his chair glancing out towards his window, the sky was still a lightly shaded blue. Only a couple of clouds were in the sky, the sun beaming brightly off to the side. He didn’t know whether he should be relieved or annoyed by how slow the day was passing. Part of him just wanted to go home and sleep the rest of the day away, but he knew if Schlatt found out there surely would be some repercussions. 

So instead he sat up from his desk stretching out his back and then wings, giving a satisfied hum at the slight pops. He walked around his desk, making his way out of his office and towards his boss’s. 

As he walked he admired the work of the white house, he still felt a large sense of pride every time he did. All the hard work and sleepless nights that went towards this being paid off. He found himself smiling at the memory of him and Schlatt walking down the corridors. The ram complementing certain rooms and decor choices as Quackity gave him a tour of the place. Something as simple as a compliment shouldn’t have had his heart swooning, yet he found himself staring longingly at his new president with every piece of praise that fell from his lips.

A light laugh had Quackity pulled from his thoughts, no doubt that was Tubbo. He turned the corner to head into Schlatt office and was greeted with the sight of said man, along with Tubbo and Fundy crowding around his desk. Rolled up papers litter the floor, and few unraveled ones laid to the side of the desk, threatening to fall off and onto the floor.

He stepped further inside, the room was the second largest in the place, the meeting room coming first. The place had undergone a few changes, mainly with layout and decor ideas. It was clear Schlatt had expensive taste, and if it weren’t for the fact the guy was loaded, he would’ve laughed in his face at some of the things he ordered. Things marble statutes and chandeliers with gem pieces weren’t the easiest to gain if you didn’t have connections. And after the election, any good connections he had were gone right through the window. Truthfully, Schlatt was the only source of income any of the trio that now worked for him had. Making them rather dependent on the man, though he didn’t seem too bothered about it. Which honestly didn’t say much as none of them, as far as Quackity was aware, had made a request in the first place.

  
  


“Quackity! My man, just the guy I was looking for!” A large, lopsided grin took over Schlatt’s features as he locked eyes with his vice president. Tubbo and Fundy glanced over in his direction and a grin of his own stretched along his face in response.

“Mi hombre! What are you guys up to?” Closing the distance between him and the trio, he eyed the papers on the desk. 

“We’re working on building ideas. The president wants to make some apartment complex near the main road.” Fundy started to explain, the duck-hybrid nodding along to his words as he eyed the blueprint in front of him.

“How long do you think it’ll take?” Quackity asked, tearing his eyes away to glance at Fundy, whose brows furrowed in thought.

“Depends. If we’re working straight through, it should take a week and a half, two weeks tops if anything. It shouldn’t be more than a four-man job if we want it done fast enough.”

Schlatt let out a low hum, leaning back in his chair. “That sounds good then. You can be in charge of finding people for that and look over it.” he stated, earning a ‘yes sir’ from the fox-hybrid, as he rolled the print up neatly. “I think we should also update this place a bit.”

The three males gazed at their president questioningly, before Tubbo spoke up, “Uh, how so..?”

“Well,” The ram stood up, arms crossed behind his back as he moved around the desk. The other three in the room watched him carefully, confusion evident in their eyes. “I thought we could add more rooms to the place, sometime down the road of course, but I know you all live a good distance from the white house and I thought it’d make a bit more sense if you all just lived here.” He was met with stunned silence, making him glance behind him at the other’s brow rising in anticipation. “Well?”

The three looked at each other before they all collectively smiled.

“Sounds like a plan!” Tubbo quipped, grinning ear to ear. The look was a relief to Schlatt, but that quickly diminished after seeing the smug look that spread on Quackity’s face. 

“Don’t.”

The duck got up, his movement chipper as his smile only widened as a frown appeared on his boss’s face. 

“I didn’t know you missed us that much Schlatt.” Quackity wrapped an arm around the other shoulder, pressing himself up against the other. 

The ram sneered at the duck lightly, a scoff pushing past his lips. “Oh, please don’t flatter yourself. I’m merely doing this to benefit fit us, and I’m tired of sleeping at Fundy’s house.”

Quackity pulled away at that, brows knit together in confusion, “You sleep in Fundy’s house?”

“Well, yeah dumbass! Where else am I gonna sleep? Do I have to remind you that I was banned from this place only weeks ago? So, sorry I haven’t had the time to make myself a house yet.” He shifted away from the duck-hybrid, moving back to his desk. 

“You could’ve lived with me!”

A low rumbled of a laugh bubbled from the emperor’s throat, and he wiped an invisible tear from his eye. “As if. Your house is too small and I prefer to live in something that’s not...well a dump.”

Fundy shook his head at the upcoming bickering that was sure to happen and started rolling up the rest of the papers around them. Tubbo eyed the two from where he sat perched on top of Schlatts, a fond smile on his face.

“My house is _not_ a dump! You haven’t even been inside it before.”

“I’m simply making an educated guess.”

“ _Fuck you!_ ”

The ram waved a dismissive hand at the VP, as he sat back down in his chair. “Even if it’s not a “dump”, we both know it’s too small.”

“I could add a bed.” 

“Where? Next to yours? So I can get suffocated by your wings?”

The duck burst into laughter at that, trying to deny it through the wheezing chuckles.

“You two see this? Barely been in office for a whole two weeks and my vice is already trying to take my spot.” He shook his head fondly at his now double over in laughter VP and laughing secretary.

Yeah. Life was good.


	2. Trusting thieves

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Schlatt steals some steaks, then he and Quackity have small chat.

The next couple of weeks were busy, as expected of course. The reconstruction of Manburg was a large task, but it was going smoothly thus far. The apartment buildings were halfway done and a few new roads were in the making as well. Fundy was doing a grand job at overseeing each project. Even better, the work on the white house had started just days earlier, which was overseen and pretty much constructed, by Quackity. 

It was one of those rare times he got to see his vice serious. The way he reported to him at certain parts of the day, to let him know how everything was going. Updating him on the budget or parts they’d need to order off server, was definitely a nice change to the constantly loud and joking personality the other had.

Tubbo was usually with him or at his command for the most part. Helping him out with paperwork, or gathering input from the citizens in the town.

To put it plainly, the cabinet was extremely busy.

For Schlatt he was not only busy, but bored, irritated, and all but ready to blow a damn casket.

The paperwork that sat on his desk, was never-ending. It became abundantly clear that the past president hadn’t done shit. There was no clear currency yet, they clearly stuck with trading of some kind. No real laws - by his definition - it looked like they were just building this town as if they were all a big ole' happy family. 

But now that Schlatt was here, that was going to change and fast. Even if he had to sit at this damn desk all day and all night.

And by the looks of it, it seemed he was really set to do that.

Tubbo came in a few more times during the day, explaining things he’d heard, seen, so on and so forth. The last visit he gave, the boy clearly looked tired and the small ounce of sympathy Schlatt held was offered to the young ram.

“You’re free to go. Get some rest, you look like you're gonna pass out right here, right now.” His voice held a bitter tone to it, though it wasn’t directed at his right-hand man. But, sitting at a desk for the past couple of hours, having to pick up the mess the exiles had left for him, really did work on his mood.

“Are you sure? I can stay a bit longer to help out with anything else.”

  
  
“Nah, it’s fine kid. Go home. Did you even eat anything today?”

“I had a couple of pastries from Niki earlier.”  
  


The president ‘tsked’ in response, “Not good enough. Go home and eat something filling. Quackity and Fundy will have my neck if they found out I worked you so much and without _actual_ food.”

Tubbo let out a quiet laugh, “It’s not your fault Schlatt, I was too caught up in work anyway!” he paused, his sentence filtering off, causing the eldest to glance up at him. The teen had a certain uneasy feeling on his face and it was clear he was battling off on whether to speak up or not.

“Something on your mind, Tubbo?”

“Ah- yeah- Kinda..” He filtered off again but spoke up before Schlatt could. “You won’t work yourself too much, right? You’ll take a breather?” The question surely caught Schlatt off guard and he raised a brow in response, listening as the youngest spoke up again. “Each time I came in, you were in the same position. It barely looked like you moved. I just..don’t want the same situation with Wilbur to happen to you. He barely took breaks when it came to L’Manburg.”

As flattering as the whole thing was, Schlatt couldn’t help but snort in response. “Don’t know how the bastard could’ve done that. It barely seemed like he did anything with the amount of work I’m doing.” His eased statement seemed to put Tubbo at ease just a bit, but the weariness was still there, ever-present and weighing on the teen.

“I’ll make sure to take breaks though, I’ve taken a few earlier anyway. Besides, I’m still full of energy.” That was a damn lie, he didn’t even understand how he was able to keep his eyes as open as they were. Not to mention the fact that he was starving. The only thing he’d eaten earlier was a few pieces of carrots that he had stashed on his person, and he’d finish that earlier that morning. But still, his words finally elevated the worry off Secretary who smiled at him fondly. 

“That's good then. But, I’ll make sure to let Fundy and Quackity know, to check up on you before they head home. Good night, Mr. President!” 

“Wait that won’t-” Schlatt sighed as he watched the teen round the corner and out of sight. “Lil’ bastard..” a fond smile appeared on his face, despite his words. He leaned back in his seat, staring up at the decorated ceiling. He wondered if he could sneak a couple of steaks from one of the local restaurants. This was _his_ town and he was hungry. Ah, fuck it.

He stood up from his chair with a quiet groan, wincing at the slight crack and pops that emitted from his back as he stood. He’d need to invest in a new chair, this was ridiculous. 

He moved around his desk carefully, as not to accidentally bump into any of the piles of paperwork that was littered on the side of his desk. 

Once he made it out of the White House, he realized just how suffocating it was in his office. The fresh air had relieved a sort of tension he hadn’t known he’d been holding, and some of the irritation that had lingered on him fell away as the cool breeze swept over him. He let out a small sigh, starting to stroll to one of the restaurants he knew should’ve been closed and furthermore out of view from anyone passing by.

The trip didn’t last long, especially with the small shortcut he took and he finally was in front of the large eatery. He entered without a problem, though he knew any of the owners wished to keep this place in business that’d need to change, though he wasn't going to bash it now. 

He walked inside and right to the back of the restaurant, stifling through the chest and pulling out the items he wanted. Seeming satisfied after grabbing a few steaks and potatoes. After closing it, he placed one of the steaks in his mouth, feeling fulfilled with the deed and ready to head back to work. He walked back out to the front, opening the front door- aaaannnd why is Quackity here.

He sighed as he gazed at his vice president who stared back at him questionably. He kept the gaze for a short moment before walking right past his vice, not surprised when he heard the other stutter and quickly moved to run after him. 

“Uh, whatcha got there Schlatt?”

The president didn’t answer right away, opting to eat up his steak before replying. “I don’t think your stupid, Quackity. What does it look like?”

“Uh, yeah..right. Uhm..” The VP fell silent, but Schlatt could practically hear the other thinking behind him. “I just..why are you stealing steak from a restaurant? If you were hungry I could’ve made something or gotten you something.” He ended the statement in a quiet laugh.

“Well for one, I didn't even know where you were. And I would rather not go looking for you on an empty stomach.” He answered bluntly, glancing back at the hybrid, who nodded his head quickly causing Schlatt to roll his eyes.

So, it was going to be one of these days.

While his vice was mainly known for his outgoing and rather _bright_ personality. Being able to make people smile and laugh, without much thought, he still had his moments. And this was one of them. Schlatt had only witnessed it two times knowing Quackity. Usually, it meant the duck was nervous or anxious about something, and for the most part it was about something serious.

The two walked in silence and for Schlatt it was comfortable enough until it lingered on and on. His vice just following him in utter silence, the man wasn’t even humming. He glanced back at him a couple of times, noticing how his gaze was kept downward. Wings drooping just a bit. Dear god, he wasn’t good with sad Quackity. Was anyone?

He rubbed his face, deciding just to wait till they reached his office to speak to him. By the time they did the silence was almost suffocating enough for it to be irritating.

“Okay. What the hell is your problem?” The ram could barely wait till he even reached his desk to talk to the other. His voice was irritable, a frown evident on his face as he eyed his vice down. Probably not the best approach, but hey.

But then the bastard had the audacity to _laugh_ and say, “ _I’m fine Schlatt. Just a bit tired._ ”

Now, Schlatt was known for overreacting a bit. His temper was far from the best, and when it came to his anger, he still struggled to keep it together.

So, when he threw his items in a nearby chest, ignoring how some of the potatoes clattered to the ground as they missed their goal. Then roughly grabbed Quackity by his suit and shoved him down on the couch, then stood over him like some type of god and _demanded_ to know what was wrong with him. The look he received was only fair.

“Schlatt-”

“What the fuck is wrong with you now?” The older of the two didn’t even give the other time to speak, eyes narrowed down at his confused vice.

“Uh- What do you,” He broke off into nervous chuckles, but it cut off seeing the unimpressed look on his superior. He coughed awkwardly, slumping back in his seat. For a moment Schlatt didn’t think he was going to answer.

“I’ve been thinking about something..”  
  
  


At that, Schlatt took a seat across from Quackity, pushing the velvety chair closer to the duck. “Go on.”

“When we exiled Tommy and Wilbur..do you really think that was the right move?”

The ram tried not to slump in his own seat, the question wasn't shocking, of course. Honestly, he was shocked it hadn’t come up earlier. Why extreme- especially when he shot Wilbur -he still saw it as a necessary thing to do. He couldn’t keep them here where they could group with their friends for some type of revolt, or even find a way to attack them in their sleep. It was too much of a risk, it seemed better off this way.

“I do. Do you not?”

“I mean..kinda.”

“Kinda? Did you have a better idea?”

Silence.

“Quackity.”

“We could put them in jail, something that would secure their safety.”

“Do you see a jail around here? God, knows how long that would take. That was the best choice of attention if we didn't want a whole war on our hands.”

“Who’s to say a war won’t happen now?” Quackity countered, his gaze shifting to met with slanted eyes. “They’re out there doing god knows what, planning god knows what. How do we know some of the citizens aren’t meeting with them secretly? You saw the look Wilbur gave you as he left! At the end of the day Schlatt, it's just me, you, Fundy, and Tubbo!”

The other tsked, leaning back in his seat, “We have Dream and his little buddies. Not to mention Eret.”

  
  
“They don’t count by a long shot, Schlatt! They’re only sided with you because you’re in power! They don’t care about what you stand for, they're just here because they agree with that little stunt!”

“And how is that a problem? I don’t care that they don't agree with me totally! You think Fundy’s here because he’s on the same page as me? Or Tubbo? They’re here for the same reason you’re here. The same reason that Dream’s here. _Power._ You all want the power and recognition you weren’t getting from Wilbur, so of course, you’ll fall to whatever the fuck I say, because I _gave_ you power.” 

  
  


Quackity started on at Schlatt, shoulders tense and a bothered expression clear on his face. All the while. Schlatt tried hard to keep his composure calm and steady. “Am I, or am I not correct? If Wilbur were to have actually listened to you, to Fundy, or Tubbo. Would any of you be here? Would I be here? I wouldn’t have even been in the presidency, probably right back to being banned.”

“That is not true.”  
  
  


“It’s not? I think it is.”

  
  
“How so? Why? What makes you think that we’re all here, doing all this work _may I remind you_ , just for some- _some bit_? Tubbo was ride or die when it came to Tommy and Wilbur! But he realized what was happening, that power was going to corrupt them! What about Fundy? Yeah, the guy doesn’t like his dad, but he also stands for what he believes in!”

“And you?”

“I believe- _I actually believe_ -that you’re right for this country.”

Schlatt smiled at that, standing up and started to walk past Quackity only stopping short next to where the male sat and placed a hand on his shoulder, squeezing gently.

“Then you should have no reason to doubt me then, yeah?” He turned and met the other gaze, “Good night, Q.”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Give me some prompts/ideas/suggestions on what should happen! I really want this story to go on for awhile, but I only have so many ideas lol


	3. MERRY (hella late) CHRISTMAS!!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Cabinet has a hectic Christmas as expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas!! I know this is hella late and it probably already 2021 for some of you. But it's not for me and that's all that matters! 
> 
> I would've had this out sooner, but I got distracted and when I was writing gained new ideas, and so on. But it's finished now, so I hope you enjoy this hella long chapter!! 
> 
> I'll be back to writing the next chapter soon!
> 
> Happy New Year!! :D

Truth be told, Schlatt was never one for the whole Christmas celebration shit. Like so what, some baby was born this day and some fat bastard was breaking into your house and doing the opposite of a robbery. How lovely.

Yet, his associates didn’t think the same. He realized that a couple of days before December even hit and he had overheard Christmas music emanating from Quackity’s office. If anything pissed him off more, it was people celebrating a damn holiday that hadn’t even arrived yet.

So naturally, he walked in, ignored Quackity’s greeting, and took the disc out of the jukebox, and walked the fuck out of there. 

The duck hybrid didn’t take that so well.

Quackity then bombarded Schlatt with questions about the whole ordeal. One’s like, “Don’t you like Christmas?” or “Did something happen recently that made you feel this way?”, or better yet “How do you think the citizens of Manburg are gonna feel knowing that their president doesn’t like Christmas?” Like he actually cared what any of them thought.

Despite all this, it was clear the younger of the two didn’t care how the ram felt. As soon decorations started appearing in certain places of the white house.

It started off with a simple reef, with pine cones and a large red bow to finish it off. Not too serious, he thought at least. It was just one item hung on the front door, some silly insignificant item. But how wrong he was.

The next couple of days brought nothing, till one day he’d woken up much later than he’d wanted to. Usually, in this case, Quackity or Tubbo would’ve come over to wake him up when they had awoken themselves. Which was now odd seeing that they wake up only a few minutes after him and slept right next-fucking-door. Which could only mean that they were sleeping in as well.

After getting ready, albeit irritable, he marched over across the marbled hall to his vices room. He gave two harsh knocks before pushing open the room. He took only a few steps in to realize it was empty. The bed was made up neatly, curtains were drawn open and the light scent of pine cones wafted through the air. He briefly called out the other’s name just to make sure and when he retrieved no answer he turned on his heel to check Tubbo’s room. He only peaked his head inside to call out to the other, again getting no response. He did the same with Fundy, and once again got no goddamn response.

So they had just let him sleep in like that. 

The ram rubbed his temples briefly, he needed some coffee. When he walked into the kitchen, he briefly hoped to see the rest there but nope, no one resided in the room. Yet, he knew they had been here as the room smelled of cinnamon and..strawberries? So these bastards not only left him to sleep but also had breakfast without him. When he got his hands on them- oh. Wait.

Schlatt paused from reaching up into the cabinet as a note caught his eyes. He picked it off the microwave and noticed it was Tubbo’s handwriting.

**“‘Good Morning, Schlatt! Hope you had a good rest! We made you some breakfast, it’s inside the microwave. (Don’t worry, Quackity didn’t help!!) Sorry for not waiting for you, but we’ve noticed you haven’t been sleeping as much lately and decided you had earned a bit of a break! We’ll help you catch up on the work!’**

**Tubbo--”**

The smile that tugged at Schlatt’s lips was inevitable and he let out a small sigh and placed the note aside to retrieve the food. 

They had really gone all out, it not only smelled good but also looked good, and it didn’t taste half bad in the slightest. Okay so maybe he’d let them slide for all this.

Once he was done, he got himself freshen up and dressed and started down the corridor to his office. 

He ignored the smell of pine that seemed exceptionally strong in the hall, or how there were garlands that hung from the windows and ceilings. Nope, he noticed none of this until he entered his office to which the pine smell had increased enough for his nose to wrinkle up as he entered. Then it was kinda hard not to notice the damn tree in the corner of his room, the soft playing Christmas jazz that came from the jukebox, or that goddamn mistletoe that hung above his office chair. Wait, how in the hell did they even get that up there.

All previous kind-hearted statements now meant nothing to him as he turned on his heel to find the culprits. He could hear laughing come from further down the hall and he most certainly wasn’t smiling as he went to find them. No, not at all.

\--

From then forth it became like some type of mission impossible game to place up Christmas decorations. The end goal? To have the whole White House, including Schlatt’s room decorated before the twenty-fifth.

\--

“You guys are going to get yourselves killed.” 

Schlatt watched with morbid interest as his three idiots- oh excuse him _, associates_ , decorated the roof of the White House. Lucky for them it had yet to snow, unluckily it was windy as hell and he had already witness Quackity nearly fall to his death because of it. The duck blamed it on his wings and you’d think if you were that self-aware you’d know not to continue to open them so as to shield yourself from the wind. But this was Quackity, so he just watched for the eighth time that hour as the hybrid once more almost fell, resulting in the Fundy coming for his aid.

“We are not! We know what we’re doing!” Tubbo yelled through the scarf that wrapped itself tightly around his face. He could barely make out what the other said over the blowing winds. 

“If you say so.” Schlatt shook his head and entered the White House, it was way too cold out, and as much as he’d like to continue to witness the failure that was happening he didn’t want to get sick. So he got himself a nice warm cup of coffee and sat down to get some work done in peace and quiet.

  
  


He had gotten a good deal done before he heard walking coming from down the hall. With his door cracked open, he saw the three walk past and down to their living quarters. Checking the time, they had been out there for a good hour and a half after he had come in which was a lot shorter of a time than he would’ve guessed. A part of him thought they had simply given up, but out of sheer interest, he got up and walked outside to check the work that had been done. An well, he was most definitely surprised. 

The whole White House was covered in lights. The front, the back, sides, and the goddamn roof were just, it was fucking covered. Yet just an hour and a half earlier, they were struggling to just untwine the damn wires. He knew they had gotten help, and he also knew he had lost a battle he didn’t even know he was fighting in.

That night, he was dragged out of his office by Tubbo who enthusiastically explained they were going to turn on the lights. He didn’t put up any complaints, just allowed himself to be dragged out into the cold air. A couple of the citizens were outside, hanging around the White House like it was some kind of circus. 

He noticed Fundy and Sam near the side of the building, plugging wires in whilst talking amongst themselves. Quackity eagerly dragged Karl and Sapnap over, they looked as if they’d just woken up, but still wore sleepy smiles on their faces. Next to him, Tubbo was practically beaming in excitement as he waited for the lights to flicker on. 

It was only till Fundy had announced that everything was ready and the count down started did Tubbo’s mood shift. 

“Wait, how bright are 80 watts?”

Schlatt’s head snapped over to the thinking boy, brows furrowed, “All that is 80 watts?!”

The moments the lights flicked on, it was white then it was dark once more. 

After a beat of silence, there was a nervous chuckle, “Maybe we shouldn't have used so many lights for one plug..”

Schlatt really hated it here.

\--

Even though it had been days since the initial incident, Schlatt swore he still had a white spot in his vision. 

The lights had been fixed since then and he had officially taken away his associate's rights to put up lights like that without official help. He didn’t want a fire to occur just because they didn’t know basic protocol when it came to over plugging an outlet. 

But, now because they couldn't finish putting up lights they turned to a new idea that the ram couldn't tell was worse than the whole light situation.

“Quackity.”

“Yep!”

“We already have a tree in my office.”

“Mhm.”

“In the main lobby.”

“Yep, Yep!”

“In the living room.”

“Yessir!”

“And at least three others in some goddamn corner, so why the hell are you putting up another one in the hall?”

  
  


The president stood and watched as the duck hybrid turned from where he stood in front of yet another tree he had gotten from god knows where. It was one of the bigger ones that found its way into the walls of the white house and Schlatt really doesn’t understand how one just smuggles in a Christmas tree _that big_ without him noticing.

Taking a small glance back at the tree that sat in front of the window in the main hall of the cabinets living quarters. The tip of the tree was a far enough distance from the roof to which a star on top wouldn’t come close to touching the ceiling. It was halfway decorated, (And now that Schlatt thought about it, how the hell did they get their hands on some many decorations?), two-toned ribbons wrapped around the massive tree, and at least three different types of lights encasing it.

“It looks nice.”

“I didn’t say it didn’t. I’m just saying we have over four trees in this place, don’t you think that excessive?”

“..No..?”

“That's the last tree that's going up and I mean it.”

Quackity grumbled a low fine as he went back to decorating, while the president turned on his heel and headed back to his office.

\--

That wasn’t the last tree that was going up, but Schlatt didn’t need to know that. 

Quackity, Fundy, and Tubbo sat on the ground of their living room floor, papers in the middle of the circle they had created. Schlatt had gone out on one of his rare runs to restock on food and supplies, something that they were most grateful for.

They had a good week and a half before Christmas came and while the decorating of the White House was going well, there was still one place in the whole building that didn’t even smell of the holiday spirit. Schlatt’s room.

Tubbo pointed out that they couldn't force Schlatt to do anything, they were lucky enough that Schlatt was okay with the whole decoration thing and they had surely pushed their luck with the lights. Yet, it wouldn't hurt to try to get the other to at least put a bell on his doorknob. Or even one of those sticky, gel-like snowmen that people placed on their windows. Something. 

Tubbo checked off another thing from their to-do list, a smile playing on his lips. He tapped them with the pen as he looked at the next thing to do. 

“Uh. So who’s gonna try and convince Schlatt to allow Wilbur and Tommy to visit Manburg for the Christmas party?”

Quackity visibly choked, while Fundy gave a nervous laugh. 

“Ah, forgot we put that on the list.” The fox uttered, placing the scissors he’d been holding down. He unfolded the piece of paper he’d been cutting to look like a snowflake, giving a small nod in approval after a look over. “Maybe you should do that, Tubbo. He’ll listen to you better.”

“Yeah! Especially when you give him those puppy eyes!”

Tubbo frowned, fiddling with the pen in his hands, “But what if he says no..?”

“Then..then he just says no.” Fundy shrugged, starting to fold another sheet of paper, “We can’t force him to allow them to come, besides I’m sure we’ll have fun without them and we could always do our plan B if he does decline.”

The young ram gave a small nod, as he picked up some paper to help out with the snowflakes. 

“I’m sure he’ll say yeah though, don’t worry about it.”

\--

_Deep breaths...just go in, ask Schlatt, get your answer, and leave._

  
  


Tubbo really wished it was that easy. 

He stood in front of Schlatt’s office door, hand gripping onto the doorknob as he willed himself to enter. His mind had already made a few scenarios on how this could play out, some good, some bad. He knew this shouldn't be this hard, yet he was scared. Scared of the answer he may be given, scared that the president may think he was becoming some type of traitor, that he was betraying his trust. When in reality, he just really wanted to see his friends again.

He thought about just bringing them without asking Schlatt, but he knew that would only end up in disaster and he didn’t want to ruin the whole Christmas spirit that was floating around Manburg. The nation was the happiest it had been in weeks and he didn’t want to run that over selfish want.

His mind replayed what Fundy had told him earlier, and he tightened his grip on the handle before giving the door a few knocks with his other hand.

Though muffled, he could make out the sound of Schlatt’s voice telling him to come in. He pushed open the door without much of a second thought, gently shutting it behind him before walking closer to his boss's seating area.

“If Quackity is trying to ask for me to order another one of those stupid Santa inflatables, tell him I’m going to dock his pay.”

Tubbo paused briefly, brow-raising before a small laugh escaped his lips. He didn’t even know Quackity had asked such a thing on multiple occasions for Schlatt to automatically think that's what he was asking for. 

“No, no I’m not here for that.” The younger giggled, brushing some hair from his face. “I uh, I actually came here to ask you something..kinda important.”

That got Schlatt to look up from whatever book he was reading and face his secretary. “Oh? What is it?”

This was now or never a situation and it was like what Fundy said, they had a plan B.

“Would it be okay for Tommy and Wilbur to come for the Christmas party?” Tubbo spoke out the words as if it burned him to say, even still Schlatt heard him loud and clear.

A sort of silence fell between them that had Tubbo’s body tense. The silence was deafening and going for far too long.

“It’s fine if not, I just-”

“They can come.”

Tubbo stared at Schlatt as if the man had multiple heads. “Wait what?”

“I said they can come, isn’t that what you wanted to hear?”

“I mean- I mean yeah! Of course! I just- I didn’t expect that..” He paused, before quickly following up with, “But thank you! They’ll only stay for the party!”  
  


“As I expect.” 

Tubbo nodded, excitement evident in his features. Schlatt expected that to be the end of the conversation, yet wasn’t expecting arms to wrap around him for a brief moment and to be met face to face with a brightly grinning Tubbo.

“Sorry- I just..” he took a moment to calm himself and Schlatt could see the unshredded tears in his eyes, “Thank you Schlatt, really.”

The older huffed, ignoring how his chest warmed up at how happy the other seemed. “Yeah, yeah, whatever. Just let me know when they are beforehand so I can ignore them.” He let out a huffed chuckled and ruffled the teen's head.

If it was even possible the boy grinned even more and nodded, “Aye aye, captain!” Tubbo turned on his heel to exit the room, pausing just before he stepped out. “Thanks again Schlatt. I appreciate this.” He disappeared behind the closed door before the other could say anything. 

The ram closed the book and got up from his spot to go make a drink, smiling all the while despite himself.

\--

“Quackity, if I hear you say ‘Santa’ or “Inflatable’ one more time, I’m going to poison your drink.”

\--

  
  


“What are we in kindergarten or something? Why the hell are you guys wearing your pajamas still, it's working hours!”

“Fuck you, it’s Christmas!” 

“That's not an excuse you fucking idiot!”

\--

“Wait Schlatt! Look-”

“Ah-What the shit!”

“Out..”

Fundy quickly got up from his spot on the marbled ground, to come to the president's aid. Said president laid out dramatically on the floor, where he’d tripped over the train tracks the fox had laid out. While a cute idea, he really should've warned the other about it, even though he didn’t know how Schlatt could’ve missed it.

“You good, Schlatt?”

“Yeah. Nothing like eat shit first thing in the fucking morning.”

“Sorry, I should've put up a sign.”

He held his hand out for the ram to grab hold of, helping the man off the ground and checking for any signs of a limp. He seemed fine enough as he dusted himself off and moved over the tracks to get a better look at the whole layout. 

“Lemme guess. Quackity’s idea?”

“No, Tubbo’s actually.”

Schlatt sighed, “Carry on.”

“I’m telling Quackity you’re playing favorites.”

\--

The snow had finally come to Manburg, after days and days of complaining coming from his associates. Granted, it was only a few days till Christmas would come and the only thing remotely compared to the snow was the bit of frost they had woken up to one day. It really had just been a more rainy season. But, at least, the snow finally presented itself.

When Schlatt had woken up and saw the snow through his window, he already knew that it was going to be another ‘day off’ for them. So, he didn't bother getting up instead he turned over and got comfortable once more and fell back to sleep. Said sleep didn't last long as loud bangs came from his door minutes later.

“I’m coming, I’m coming!” Through his sleepy haze, he got up and shuffled his way towards his door. He opened the door, revealing a grinning Tubbo, in the boy's hands a cup of coffee. 

“Morning, Schlatt! Thought I’d bring you some coffee!”

The gesture was nice, thoughtful, but in instances like this, he knew that it entailed something more. He didn’t beat around the bush, he thanked the younger ram for the coffee and stepped out further into the hall. “So, what's the schedule for today.”

“Well, considering it snowing we thought we’d take the day off and just head outside. We already have a few ideas on what we want to do!” 

Schlatt nodded along, following his secretary into the kitchen where Fundy and Quackity sat perched at the table. The ram almost instantly noticed the hot chocolate packets on the table, next to the box of cereal. 

“Are you guys drinking Hot Chocolate for breakfast?”

Quackity grinned proudly, taking a sip of the drink, “With peppermints!”

The older didn’t bother arguing, just letting out an exasperated sigh in response.

  
  


Getting ready to go outside, shouldn't have felt like rounding up a bunch of children. But it did. 

Schlatt knew the three were smart and capable, it's just when they all seemed to be excited it all went downhill. For example, Tubbo had magically misplaced his gloves. A key element for him if he even wanted to step outside. 

“I swear I had them in the closet.”

“Why do you only have one pair?”

“Why would I need more than one?”

Fair point. But, it didn’t make the situation less frustrating. Either way, a good thirty minutes later, they found the gloves in his closet hidden under some shoes. 

  
  


Quackity, well was Quackity. The male always seemed to want to make things a bit more difficult. So, he shouldn't have been surprised when the hybrid stepped out with just some shorts and lights wrapped around him. But he was, and he was also so tired. 

“I'm not even gonna entertain you with a reaction, take that shit off.”

“I don’t see a problem with it.”

It was a miracle he stayed calm for so long, but he knew that arguing would accomplish nothing, so he just dragged the other back into his room and forced him to change. By the time he came out, he looked like he’d been bundled up in at least three different coats.

“Schlatt, I’m hot.”

“Not my problem.”

“I can barely move- Schlatt wait- please-”

  
  
  


Fundy...wasn’t actually _that_ bad. The only issue was how off track he would get at times. So, while it did take two times longer than it should’ve to get ready, it still was better than having to find a ‘missing’ pair of gloves, and dress a nineteen-year-old. 

So yeah, even if it did take almost an hour it was definitely better than the alternatives.

Once he knew, well enough, that they were ready Schlatt got his own self dressed for the occasion and fully prepared himself for the inevitable.

\--  
  


While there wasn’t a lot of snow, there still was enough for it to be an enjoyable time. And with it still snowing, there wasn’t much to worry about.

Schlatt watched as the three dove right into making a snow fort and after a moment of watching went to go help.

There was a lot of arguing and the end result was..interesting to say the least. In the end, the fort branched off into different parts since none of them could come up with a single idea that they all could agree on. And that's how the first round of snowball fights occurred.

Tubbo had an incredible aim, like stupidly good aim. Schlatt didn’t know whether to be impressed or plainly upset at the aspect, especially when he was hit in the face for the fourth time that round. So he gained an idea, why not just get Tubbo on his side?

When the round finally ended and they were rebuilding their forts, Schlatt took the time to move over to Tubbo. He gently rested against the snow wall the other had built, ignoring how part of it crumbled under the light pressure. 

“Heyyy, Tubbo.”

“Hey, Schlatt.” The younger continued on with building, not sparing the other a glance. 

“ I was thinking..”

“Mhm..?”

“We should team up.”

The other finally looked up from where he crouched on the ground, a brow raised, “Why?”

“Well, we both have better aim than those two combined and we can even make it into a little completion to make it more interesting.” 

With the proposition out, Tubbo stopped to think, taking a glance at the other two who continued to build up their forts.

“Will we be able to put our fort together?”

Looking between his and Tubbo's fort, Schlatt gave a short nod, “Yeah, yeah, we can do that.” He watched as a mischievous glint took over the youngers eyes and he couldn't’ help but smirk in response.

“Guys! Change of plan!” Tubbo moved out from the fort to head over to the others who stopped their building. “We’re gonna do teams. Schlatt and I are a team and you two are a team.”

“What?” Fundy glanced between his grinning boss and associate, “Why- How come you guys work together?”

“Why are you asking-do you not want to team with me?” Quackity questioned from behind, arms crossed over his chest.

“No- well yeah, that's true. You have horrible aim.” 

“I can do other things! I can be your shield or something!”

“You two can work it out, just let us know when you’re done.”

The two ram hybrids took their leave, back to their fort, not like they were noticed by the other two as they continued to argue. Minutes later it seemed to die down, having come up with some sort of agreement.

  
  


Over the course of a few minutes, the forts grew in height and length. If Schlatt and Tubbo had a downfall with anything, it would be with Fundy’s and Quackity’s skills in building. Their fort looked more ‘thought out’ in a sense, while Schlatts and Tubbo looked like any old fort. But, that wouldn’t matter in the end.

  
  


When both teams finished they met up in middle to talk about the rules and end goal. Simply, both teams had a certain amount of times they could be hit in the chest, that being five. Once you were hit you sat out and wait for the round to end. To make it _fair_ there were five rounds in total. The end goal was simple, whichever team was last standing won and got to choose their ‘prize’.

The first round started off slow, as expected. They were being careful and ‘strategic’ about each step. 

However, Quackity and Fundy had won the first round and mainly for the reason that Quackity had caught them off guard.

When the duck hybrid said he’d _be Fundy’s shield_ he wasn’t joking. Each time a snowball came close to hitting Fundy’s chest, Quackity’s wing would stretch out and block it which neither rams were expecting. Their stunned stillness gave the opposing team a chance to hit them square in the chest and that's just how the round played out till the end. With Quackity protecting Fundy and serving as something close to a distraction.

  
  


The next round, however, was won by Schlatt and Tubbo. Realizing the importance that Quackity played, they knew they had to get him out first so it was easier to team up on Fundy. And they did just that. After that round, Quackity was covered head to toe in snow and he swore he could feel it in his feet. 

Quackity and Fundy had narrowly won the third if the vice had only moved a tad bit quicker to get out the way, they would’ve bagged that round, though they did make a comeback in the fourth round winning that a lot easier than expected. Though, it was easy to just blame the other teams' fall on pride and cocky behavior.

Now, they were tied. But, justbefore the last round, they decided to take a quick break. 

Leaving their war zone, they head into the town to speak to citizens and friends. It was nice, especially since he got a small look into what the party was going to be like. Though with the reminder of the party, he remembered the ‘special guest’ that was coming with it. He tried not to let it bother him, it was just for one night, a couple of hours and then he could kick them out again.

“You alright man?”

Schlatt glanced over at the sound of the voice, Fundy stood with a cup of hot chocolate in hand, graciously given by Niki, with a small look of concern. 

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just the cold starting to get to me.”

The fox eyed him carefully, before giving a quick nod and a smile.“Then we better finish up the last round then.”

Schlatt mentally sighed in relief and plastered a grin on his face. “You better get ready to lose.”

“Be careful Schaltt. That attitude is what made y'all loose before.”

“Oh, please you two just got lucky.”

\--

So Schlatt and Tubbo lost. And it _was_ due to Schlatt’s attitude once again.

The group sat in the living room, now changed in more comfortable clothes and basking in the warmth that came from the fireplace. Tubbo had made them all tea, and then later they planned to make some cookies as none of them were ready to move from their spots on the couch. 

Oh and the _‘prize’_?

Well upon being asked what they wanted, Quackity, with no hesitation replied, “Mini inflatable Santa.”

“Quackity-”

“In your room.”

“I fucking hate you.”

\--

Christmas Eve had finally arrived and it was going to be a busy day. The main finishing touches of the party were happening and everyone was busy. Everyone had a task, whether it was to oversee decoration, technical issues, food, so on and so forth. But the cabinet had their own last-minute adventure. Finding Tommy and Wilbur and bringing them to the party.

Though they knew that they resided, somewhere in Pogtopia, the real challenge would be persuading them to come.

  
  


Schlatt had said right off the bat, he wouldn’t be coming or joining them in the quest to help find them. Instead, he opted to stay and catch up on _work_ . With that Quackity decided to stay back as well and help Schlatt out, saying it was the least he could do for all the _trouble_ he'd caused.

So, later on, that day both Fundy and Tubbo headed out to Pogtopia. The trip was more or less an easy one, especially with the knowledge of the tunnels helping them along. Tubbo kinda hoped they’d be able to find them in there, but alas they came up empty.

The trip between the two was quiet, whether it be for nerves or they simply had nothing to talk about. On the occasion, they’d have a slight laugh when they found themselves lost in the tunnel, but that soon died out when they reached the end and heard voices. 

It didn’t take a genius to realize who they’d belonged to, and up ahead they could make out two figures heading towards the entrance of whatever bunker they had made. They waited for the two to go inside and for their voices to become more and more distant before they made their move.

  
  
  


“Well, it’s now or never.” Fundy mumbled off to the side of him as he descended first, Tubbo following after with a soft sigh.

Going down seemed to last a lifetime and the ram was so caught up in his thoughts he’d barely had time to stop when Fundy suddenly halted in his steps. Looking up he noticed a tip of a sword aimed at the fox's throat and at the handle end Wilbur stood eyes narrowed.

“Oh, heyyy Wilbur! How’s it going!” Fundy’s voice only slightly strained and Tubbo could only imagine it was because of how close the tip was to his neck.

“Oh, it's going just fine! Did Schlatt bring you here to kill us?” Wilbur's voice held the ever cheery tone, yet it still seemed to hide something behind it. The smile on his face looked strained and being close he noticed the bags under the other's eyes, and the new cuts and bruises he now carried.

Tubbo was quick to shake his head, pulling Fundy back just a bit so he could stand in front. Wilbur hesitated to put down his sword, eyes still narrowed at the teen. 

“You can come out Tommy.” 

“Thank fuck- it's cold as shit in here.” 

Tubbo watched as Tommy exited a small cave off to the side, dusting off the spiderwebs from his clothes. “So if ya’ not here to kill us, what are you here for?” He barely waited a moment for them to speak before he spoke up again himself, “Are you here to join us? Finally tired of that sheep, huh?”

“Uh, no, no actually we- uh, came to see if you wanted to come to our Christmas party we’re hosting! It’s starting just before sundown tomorrow and Schlatt said you too could come, just if you leave right after..!”

Tommy and Wilbur paused, eyeing the two of them, before busting out in laughter. Tubbo and Fundy exchanged glances, before falling into soft laughter with them. 

Wilbur wiped his eye with his finger and shook his head, as he let out a last few chuckles, “That’s a good one, is that code for something?”

“Uh, no..?” Tubbo looked to Fundy for support, the fox looked back uneasy but stepped forward some. 

“We really are having a party, Tubbo asked Schlatt if you guys could come for it because we wanted you to be included.”

“Ah, how inclusive.” Wilbur nudged Tommy, who rolled his eyes exaggeratedly.

“Hey, well if you don’t want to come that's fine. We just wanted you to know the offer is out on the table, _dad._ ”

Wilbur almost seemed to flinch at the words, but stood grounded as he stared Fundy down, all sense of lightheartedness having dissipated. “Well, we’ll think about it, _son._ ”

The two stared each other down, to silence was painful and after making split-second eye contact, both Tubbo and Tommy pulled their respective friends away from each other.

“Well, uh, we hope to see you..!”

“Yeah..!” Tommy nervously laughed, as Wilbur pulled away from him and walked further into the cave himself. “We’ll see..”

  
  


\--

The walk back to Manburg held a much different silence from before, but Tubbo didn’t try and do anything to break it. The topic was sensitive and he knew how both parties acted when it was brought up.

However, he was surprised when after they had arrived back that Fundy had stopped just short of the White House doors and turned to him. Ears pressed flat against his head as he averted any eye contact.

“I’m- I’m sorry if I might’ve blown any chance of us getting them to come. I know how important this was for you.”

Tubbo patted Fundy on his shoulder reassuringly, “It's fine Fundy, I know how it can get between you two. It’s not really your fault anyway. We can only hope they come and if not..then so be it.”

“If you say so.”

The ram smiled, pushing open the door, “I mean it, it’s fine-”

The younger pause upon hearing relentless streams of cursing coming from somewhere up ahead. Knowing very clearly who it was, the two hybrids followed the sound to their sleeping quarters to find Quackity standing outside of Schlatt’’s door, peaking in and said ram cursing from inside.

Seeing that two had returned, Quackity grinned, “Hola, amigos! How’d it go!”

“Ah, it went well enough..” Tubbo shrugged, “They said they’d think about it.” It seemed to sound believable enough as Quackity nodded in response. “So, uh, what's going on here?”

“Oh! Well, Schlatt and I finally put the inflatable up!”

“You said it would be fucking mini! Not tall enough to tower over my goddamn bed!”

Both associates walked over to the bedroom door to see said inflatable was indeed towering over the other bed, a slight tilt to it having it seemed hunched. 

“Aren’t..aren't those made for the outdoors..?”

“Yeah, but he doesn't have to know that.” Quackity quickly whispered to FUndy, before turning his attention to Schlatt, “Well, you know what the songs say Schlatt! _‘He sees you when you’re sleeping!’_ ”

“ _Oh, shut the hell up_!”

\--

That night, the four sat in the living room with their respective gifts in hand. It was Tubbo’s idea to do a secret Santa type deal this time, as it seemed an easier and funnier way to go about Christmas eve.

Tubbo decided to go first, opening his relatively huge box. Schlatt made a passing joke about the teen saving the paper, which had resulted in Fundy calling him old, then proceeding to get flicked in the head, while Quackity laughed in the background.

When the box finally was opened, it was a struggle for Tubbo to even get the oversized bee plushie out of the box.

“Oh my fucking god.” Quackity eyed the thing, then looked over to Fundy, “Was that from you?”

“What? No?? I thought that was from you.”

Both paused and looked over to Schlatt who grinned back at them, “Merry fuckmas, bitches.”

“You show off!”

“How’d you even get that?!”

“Better question how’d you even get it in the box?!”

While they argued, Tubbo stared at the bee whose large eyes stared back at him. It took him a moment to react, but when he did he dropped the plush and moved over to engulf Schlatt in a hug. The arguing stopped and Schlatt looked between the teen and his associates whose expressions turned smug.

“Thank you, Schlatt. I love it.” The teen smiled up at him and Schlatt huffed, hugging the younger back before pulling away. 

“Yeah, yeah, don’t you dare start crying about it.”

  
  


Next up was Quackity, the duck hybrid ripped open his gift to reveal a shiny box. He didn’t seem to notice how Fundy's expression immediately changed to absolute joy. Opening the box he stopped short, before slamming it shut and chucking it across the room.

The fox and ram both devolved into endless laughter, while Tubbo seemed slightly confused. “Who gave you ears?”

The laughing only got louder, with Schlatt falling over and onto the floor. 

“Holy shit! I fu-cking can’t..!”

Fundy got up to retrieve the gift and hand it back to Quackity who glared at him. He could barely get out a Merry Christmas, as his laughing returned. However his laughing didn’t last long as when he opened his own gifted, Schlatt had gifted him a sweater that just said furry.

So now, Schlatt was the only one left and frankly, he was slightly worried seeing his gift was from Quackity. He resolutely opened the small box that was wrapped terribly in wrapping paper, ignoring how Quackity leaned in closer to him.

Flipping open the case, he frowned to see a necklace inside. It was heart-shaped and one of those that had two-piece for another to wear. He picked it up to read the front engraving that had their initials on their respective pieces. 

“This..this is oddly wholesome,” Fundy mumbled off to the side.

“You’re a fucking sap, you bastard.”

“I’m gonna be real, I kinda hope you opened the wine spigot thing or whatever. But this works too.”

“What's a spigot?’

“ _You got me a wine barrel?!_ ”

\--

It was Christmas day and it was busy as expected. Schlatt was the first to wake up, which shocked him if anything. But considering he had that goddamn Santa inflatable towering over him like a god on judgment day, the lack of sleep was sensible. However, he wasn’t there only one awake for long as soon after he could hear Tubbo waking up from next door and it didn’t take long for the rest to follow up. That morning went as follows.

Schlatt was dragged from his doorway the moment he opened his door, to go open their presents. There wasn’t much, but it still was a nice experiment. He did get his wine barrel, which was graciously filled halfway. (Mainly as moving it would be hell on earth if it was full.) Schlatt, even with his words of Quackity being a sap prior, had also gotten Quackity some jewelry. A ring too specific and no it wasn’t an engagement ring, as Tubbo and Fundy had seemed to think it was. He waited on that for later, but anyway.

Tubbo was gifted a few more plushies, which was...odd how the other three all had the same idea, but the young ram seemed to enjoy them so who were they to say anything? He was also given a ring from Schlatt, so was Fundy. A token of sorts that Schlatt didn’t seem to want to get into. But, Quackity explained later on that it was a symbol of being family. It got just a tad bit emotional after that.

Luckily for Fundy, only one more furry joke was made towards him and that was from Quackity. Rightfully so, as the duck hybrid still seemed a bit bitter at the whole _catboy_ incident. The rest were materials that Schlatt had ordered from a neighboring server, and some sweaters from Tubbo, and a few outfits for his pets.

After all, the presents were opened and Schlatt had rightfully discarded the wrapping paper, by burning it, then went to make them some breakfast. Tubbo helped him out a bit, while Fundy and Quackity went back to get dressed and ready for the day. They all talked over breakfast about one thing or another, and Tubbo in passing spoke to Schlatt once more about Wilbur and Tommy. The president didn’t seem too bothered by it, only shrugging it off and making a joke about them staying too long if they come and him having to ‘exile’ them once more.

Visiting friends was the next part of the day, before official preparation for the party. Going from house to house and visiting people wishing them a Merry Christmas and dropping off gifts as well as receiving some. Afterward, they simply sat around and basking in one anthers company, and as much as Schlatt seemed to try and hide it. It was clear the male was enjoying himself.

But, the resting time was soon over and it was now time for business. The stage had to be placed and tents put up so food could be laid out. Not to mention Quackity had to help Schlatt practice for his speech that night, and Fundy and Tubbo were on lookout duty for Wilbur and Tommy.

\--

When the night of the party had come, it was clear everyone had outdone itself. The lights glow perfectly in contrast to the light snowfall that started just a few minutes prior. The light smell of cinnamon wafted through the air from Niki’s barkery, and the tent that resided next door. And with the sound of music that softly played from the podium, it was coming out to be a swell night.

Schlatt seemed pretty confident in his speech, it was short and sweet and got the job done. Quackity had asked to add a few additions to it, which he’d first planned to use, was seen to be way too long and they went with the first option.

So, when the time came Schlatt got up on stage and delivered his speech to the residents of Manburg once everyone had gathered around. 

It’s funny how irony works, as just a few words into his speech looked who seemed to want to show up.

He’d heard Tommy's voice first, not too much of a surprise there. The two were walking from the treeline, eyeing the new scenery. Tubbo was the first to react, running over to greet them. Some of the citizens looked over to see their president's reaction, though upon seeing the relaxed albeit slightly irritable face they went over and greeted the exiles as well. 

“As much as you may seem like the grinch, I think you’ve made their Christmas.” Quackity hummed from beside him, watching as the two males were brought over to grab something hot to drink.

“I hope you know that much bigger of an insult than you meant it to be.” The ram replied lazily, a small smile planted on his lips. 

“Yeah, but I backed it up with a compliment.”

“I hardly call that a compliment. I just allowed these two to stay for a few hours.”

“Which is a hell of a lot more than anyone would’ve thought.”

The other just gave a hum in acknowledgment, before nudging Quackity. 

“Want to get drunk off your asses?” 

“You fucking know it.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tubbo is caught acting suspiciously, the White House gets completed, and Tubbo and Schlatt have a moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another long chapter bc I didn't want to do two parts! I'll touch more on the situation in this chapter at the beginning of the next, but I want to work more on Fundy and Schlatt's relationship as well.

Quackity didn’t bring up the conversation the next day, not that Schlatt really expected him to or anything. But, it did bring some sort of relief to see his VP acting like he usually did. All chipper and happy, cracking jokes with Fundy as the two entered his office. It was good to see that his vice actually listened and took to heart what he said. And that gained Quackity some points of respect if he was honest.

The days pass by with more and more progress being shown. Though it took longer than the party initially thought, the apartments were finished within two weeks, along with the new roads and walkways. The upgrade earned positive feedback from the nation, according to Fundy. So that was definitely a plus.

The construction of the White House was now the main priority.

It was around late evening when Schlatt decided to take a quick visit to the construction site of the building. A large portion of the white house was cut off due to the work, his office being part of that. So, work was now being done directly in the meeting room, which was big enough for all of them to work in luckily. 

The walk down the hallway was similar to some type of damn obstacle course. Halls filled with marble slats and wood planks, nails littering parts of the ground, and a suspicious red substance near the bottom of the ladder. He’d ask Quackity about that later.

He finally reached the part of the site, where work was actually happening. And, well, he wasn’t disappointed.

The dead-end that use to hold an oversized image of Schlatt’s face was gone, now giving way to a brand new hallway. The roof was identical to the previous hall, a few extra designs here and there, along with a bright chandelier hanging from the middle of the ceiling. Down the hall he could make out a few workers, putting the finishing touches up with the windows and frames.

He then brought his attention to the doors that lined the hall, three on each side. Kinda odd, considering there were only four of them. Four of said doors were open, paint cans and tools littered just outside and he could make out mumbled speech from inside them. With that, he decided to take just a small peek inside one of the rooms that were closed.

He carefully stepped his way over, then lightly pushed open the door. The room smelled strongly of paint and cleaning supplies, the mixture making his nose scrunch up. He scanned the room, which was empty, no furnishings added yet, though it still had a slight charm to it with the polished floors and light fixtures.

“Schlatt!”

Whipping his head around, Schlatt came face to face with his vice, who smiled at him expectantly.

“How do you like it so far?”

As much as he wanted to tell the other off about sneaking upon him, he knew the hybrid wouldn’t care to hear it. Especially since this wouldn’t be his first time telling the other this. Instead, he gently shut the door and breathed through his nose. 

“It looks great Quackity. Just a bit confused about why there are so many rooms.”

“Mh, well I thought having like, four rooms only would make the hall look less grand. Besides, we had the supplies to do it, so might as well make good use for them.” Quackity made a short gesture to the middle doors, “These two are the biggest rooms, obviously meant for you. Though, I know you said you wanted a view of Manburg, so we’ve made preparations for the room with that view.” 

Schlatt nodded along silently, allowing Quackity to explain everything to him.

“Fundy still hasn't chosen his room yet, so we’re waiting on that before we start finishing the kitchen and living room.”

“Kitchen an- Where the hell is that gonna go?”

“What did you think the extra rooms were for?”

“I- ah, I guess that makes sense.”

Quackity grinned, tapping the side of his head with his index finger, “Context clues, Schlatt.”

“Oh, piss off.”

The playful banter carried on until Quackity had to get right back to work. Though, he promised Schlatt that the date of compilation would be sometime in two weeks. A tad bit longer than he expected, but he could wait. Which now left Schlatt to go right back to work himself, as much as he resented it. Just the same old paperwork.

He dragged himself back to the meeting room, almost slipping on some unseen item. Had he’d gotten hurt, he’d dock the vice’s pay..maybe. He was just in time to see Tubbo exiting the meeting room, papers in hand, though he seemed more focused on the boy’s face. 

The way teen seemed fidgety as he exited the meeting room, closing the door a little too fast and wincing as it slammed behind him. The hybrids meet eyes almost immediately after, and Schlatt didn’t miss the way the teen’s ears seem to pull back some.

“Hey, Tubbo.” The elder spoke smoothly, taking a couple more steps forward. “Whatcha doing with those papers?” Moving from the teen’s face, he eyed the clipped papers that the other held. There really was no reason for them to leave the meeting room, as that was the designated office for everyone. And as far as Schlatt was aware, they weren’t putting up any posters.

The smaller ram eyed the papers and held it closer to him, “Ah, well I wanted to, uh, print them off..?”

“There's a printer in the meeting room.” 

“It’s not working correctly!” 

Schlatt stared at Tubbo and the teen stared back.

“I’ll get Fundy on that then.”

“Wait, what?-”

“The printer. He’s good with fixing stuff, so I’ll have him take a look at the printer. You can go do what you need to.” He grinned, walking the rest of the distance between the two. He lightly ruffled Tubbos hair and placed a warm smile on his face, “You go ahead then. When you get done could you stop by Niki’s bakery? Oh, and get Fundy, if that's not too much to ask?”

Tubbo nodded ever so quickly, before scurrying off and down the hall. Schlatt watched him till he came out of view, the smile dipping down into a small frown and he entered the meeting room. As he sat down and got started on the rest of the work laid out, he tried to ignore the way the printer was untouched and still turned off. Just the way he had left it when he exited the meeting room just minutes earlier.

* * *

“I think Tubbo’s speaking with the exiles.”

Quackity practically choked on his coffee, as he turned to stare at his boss eyes wide. “Excuse me?”

The ram placed his pen down and leaned back in his chair, he seemed unbothered by the conclusion he’d somehow scrambled up. His expression was relaxed and almost carefree. “I said, I believe Tubbo is speaking with the exiles. Or at least in some contact with them.”

The vice looked down at his paper, brows furrowed together, “Why- What makes you think that?”

“Well for one he’s been acting strange, disappearing more frequently, a lot more fidgety than he first had been, hell I caught him smuggling out some documents the other day.” He sighed, eyes narrowing at the ceiling, “They weren't important at least, just some plans we had for the country.”

“Maybe he was just showing the civilians..?”

“That doesn’t change a thing. Nobody, no one outside of us, is supposed to see them. They're confidential and you and I both know that  _ he  _ knows that.”

The two fell silent, mulling over what to do next. 

“Should we confront him..?” 

“No.”

Quackity brought his gaze back up to look over at Schlatt, who stared right back. “What? Why not?”   
  
“So far, he hasn’t done anything worth calling him out on. I don’t even know if he’s actually seeing them, or just being overly suspicious.” The hybrid retorted with a shrug, picking up his mug of coffee and taking a small sip. “Besides, the festival is coming up soon and I don’t want any major drama circling about that’ll ruin our image.”

The younger silently nodded, absentmindedly tugging on some of his feathers. “Do you want me to talk to him about it?”

“No. Knowing Tubbo, he’ll rat himself out.” A brief pause, “Stop pulling your damn feathers, for Christ's sake. And you wonder why it hurts when you're preening.” 

“I can’t help it okay?!”

* * *

  
  


Just like clockwork, the day had finally arrived. Coincidentally, the same day the white house’s reconstruction had officially finished.

Quackity was overjoyed to show the cabinet the touches they had done to the place and Schlatt wore a warm smile the whole time. 

He had to give his vice props, as much as he made fun of the other for his living arrangements, he could really design a place. It made him wonder why he even chose to live in a small cabin in the first place. 

Each room was designed just as the owner of the room would’ve liked, and Schlatt almost felt bad for the requirements he’d asked for.  _ Almost _ . It was worth it really, stepping into his room felt like stepping into a king's quarters. 

“You really out-fucking-did yourself, Quack. Jesus Christ.” The president ran his hand across the marble finishes, and gold linings. That had to be the fifth time he’d said it to the other, but the praise was ever so needed and Quackity was soaking it in each time as if it was praise from God himself.

“Of course, I did! Only the best for us!” 

Fundy and Tubbo had retreated back to their rooms just as soon as the tour was over. For Quackity, it was a reward to see his friends look so content with their new living space. To hear the genuine sounds of appreciation fall from their lips, or the warm hugs he got at the end of it. It made his heart swell and eye burn, but like hell, he was going to start crying.

Quackity didn’t take responsibility for everything. With the number of times, Quackity had called for Fundy, the fox practically overseen the project as well. He mainly did his work in the kitchen and living room. If it wasn’t for him, Quackity would still be wondering how they'd be able to generate heat to the majority of the room, gain access to water without having to constantly leave the white house, or just how to gain any sort of entertainment. (Quackity still doesn’t know how the hell Fundy managed to get them tv but never plans to ask or question the man's genius.)

  
  


The day was much more relaxed after that, they spent most of their time in the living room talking and joking. It was nice. A moment Schlatt never really thought he’d get to experience. 

Quackity was the first to head to his room, which was a surprise but mainly for the fact he hadn't left sooner. The man was practically falling asleep the whole time, forcing himself to stay awake by all means possible till he couldn't anymore.

He gave a tired wave goodnight, then it was just the three.

Unsurprisingly, Fundy left next. 

While the fox didn’t have a specific bedtime, he had a time he wasn’t supposed to still be up and according to him, he’d pass that a while back.

So now, that just left him and Tubbo. Both rams made themselves comfortable with the extra room they had gained on the couch, eyes fixated back on whatever old movie played on the screen. It was one Fundy had picked out, the male apparently had a thing for such types of entertainment. Not that Schlatt was complaining. He too enjoyed those genres of movies as well.

He wasn’t certain if Tubbo liked them, but the teen wasn’t complaining thus far. And he was sure the only reason Quackity wasn’t complaining was that the guy was practically asleep the whole time.

The move started to come to some dramatic closure, and Schlatt was just ready to call it a night. Tomorrow would prove to be a busy day and they all had to start on planning the festival. He was sure Fundy had already dished out some ideas, which would make it easier in the long run, but they’d also have to get the civilians on board with the event as well.

The older stood with a soft groan, stretching out his limbs, and walked over to shut off the T.V. 

“Alright Tubbo, I think we should call it a night.” He turned back to face the teen, who had just started getting off the couch as well. Now that Schlatt actually looked at him, he held a slight nervous fidget to him. Quite similar with the one he’d had when he caught him with the papers. Honestly, that incident had slipped his mind. With the whole White House construction going and the piles and piles of paperwork that flooded him, it was easier to forget a seemingly one-off incident.

However, with it now in mind again he hoped the other would actually spill the reason. 

He met eyed with Tubbo, and at that moment he knew Tubbo knew had come to some kind of standstill.

The young ram sat back down on the couch and patted the seat next to him, causing the older to compile and sit down. 

“I’m sure you’ve probably figured it out, by now- but I just, I wanted to set the record straight. I’ve only done it a few times .”

“Why’d you do it at all?”

“..I..wasn’t trying to. In fact they came to me..! After you told me to close in the tunnel, they spoke to me.”

“What’d they say?”

Swinging his feet Tubbo gave a quiet sigh, “Just about how the country is set to ruin with you here, and how they had plans to fix it and get back power.”

That stung. “And you believed them?”

“No- I just-” Tubbo quickly backtracked, turning to face his boss who stared back expectantly. “It’s not that I believed them, not in that sense! I just, it’s hard seeing them exiled and- and they seemed genuinely concerned! I didn't give them anything important and I wasn’t going to join, I even told them that the plans you have so far were for the benefit of the country!”

“And that's why you had the papers?”

“Yea, I put them right back!”

“I know I saw it.”

A small silence fell over them, it gave Schlatt just enough time to think it over.

He wasn’t angry, no. Disappointed, yea, just a bit. He would’ve liked it if his secretary had come to him, instead of taking matters into his own hands like that. Even if he wasn’t thinking of betraying him, he supposed this was a good outcome nonetheless. Even with that, his trust with the younger had taken a small hit and consequence would have to be taken into account.

“What changed your mind?”

The other looked back over at him, a look of confusion hung on his features. “What do you mean?”

“I mean what made you stop going? You said you only went a few times.”

“Oh, uh.” He looked back down at his hands, brows knit together, “They’re not the same anymore. Especially not Wilbur. They’re..different. More aggressive.”

Schlatt hummed in response, he guessed if he’d been kicked out of a country he had made and left to make another civilization he’d be a bit aggressive too. It’s a shame he didn’t care though.

With that, he stood from his place and looked down at the teen. 

“It’s getting late, but we’ll talk more about this tomorrow. I expect you in my office bright and early, yeah?”

Tubbo nodded quickly and wished his boss a good night, watching the man exit before leaving to head to his room as well.

  
  


By morning, Tubbo had done just what Schlatt had asked. He entered his office that morning, shutting behind him, and walked up to the president's desk. Said man waited for him there, hands formally inlaced with one another as he stared on.

“So..” The elder started, leaning back in his chair, voice just as calm and carefree as it was the night before. “I thought about some things last night, and evaluated the situation.” 

Tubbo nodded in anticipation, hands gripping at the sleeve of his suit.

“While what you did I could call an act of treason, I decide not to go down such a route. Instead, you get a minor punishment, and I’ll just have to keep my eye on you for a while.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Your punishment is simple, you’ll be doing both Quackity and your own paperwork for the month. And you’ll be doing it with me, I don’t want you going out on your own unless you’re with Quackity or Fundy for said time. Do I make myself clear?”

Tubbo quickly nodded, earning a hum in response. 

“Good, now let's get to work.”

* * *

With every day that past the ‘punishment’, started to seem less and less like one. While yes, the paperwork was agonizing as ever, and every time he stood he found himself close to falling out due to his numbing legs. And yea, the tension between him and Schlatt the first couple of days was thick and heavy. But, as a week passed everything seemed to die down and it seemed as the month went he and Schlatt had grown somewhat close.

See, after the first week had passed Schlatt had lightened up and was back to cracking jokes or making snarky comments at him. They even started going on walks together which resulted in Quackity saying he’d been replaced, the younger didn’t even know the two acted on such activities. 

Aside from that Schlatt picked up on giving Tubbo advice, whether it be silly ones like, how to keep Manburg in order when Quackity earns presidency, or serious ones like, how to take care of himself if a revolution were to happen. 

Though with all of this, Tubbo quickly picked up a pattern with his advice. They always seemed to have to do with the elders' demise. 

At first, Tubbo thought it was a coincidence, but it slowly started to show that it wasn’t. It was Schlatt genuinely seeming to have come to terms with an unforeseen death and the younger didn’t know what to do about it.

If he was honest, it made him a bit uncomfortable. He was just starting to warm up to this man and now he was talking about dying. It was infuriating, but he couldn’t find a way to bring it up without making things awkward. He didn't know if Quackity had noticed yet or Fundy, or if they did they even take it seriously.

Honestly, the whole thing did nothing for his guilt.

  
  


A few weeks into the month and things almost seemed to be back to normal, say for being escorted around and the work plie. But, Tubbo had gotten used to the routine and it most certainly wasn’t half as bad as it was when he’d first started. However, there was one thing that the teen still had yet to get used to and those were the night terrors.

He didn’t remember the specific date he had first experienced them, but he did know it started after he started speaking to Wilbur and Tommy. And since the realization of the advice pattern, they seemed to come back full force.

They happened sporadically, no pattern, just a thing of chance. Most of the dreams just consisted of Schlatt finding out about him speaking with the exiles and taking the news badly, or it was exiling him as well or throwing him in some type of jail. But, as bad as this was nothing came close to the ones he’d started having frequently.

A part of him hated himself for this, but he hadn't told Schlatt the full truth. In fact, he hadn’t told him the real reason he even felt guilty for all of this.

When Wilbur and Tommy first made contact with him, he honestly thought they'd given up in some way and wanted in. But, upon meeting with them in person he realized that was far from the truth, and let it be known the only reason he stayed with them for as long as he did was to draw out the inevitable from happening. 

To put it plainly, Wilbur had somehow managed to place TNT under Manburg. God knows how he did it, but only that he did and had shown the young ram proof of this. Of course, this wasn’t something Tubbo had taken lightly too, and if anything he was more upset that someone he had thought of as a friend- hell, even as a brother, would go as far as destroying a country just because he couldn’t have it.

But, no matter what he said, how he put it, or how he tried to convince the older, nothing worked. It only seemed to fuel whatever crooked motive he had, and it was the only reason Tubbo stayed.

Wilbur became very persistent to know what the boy was doing when he was with Schlatt, what type of plans the guy had for  _ his _ nation. Now Tubbo wasn’t dumb. He knew the cabinet had spoken of a festival happening and the ideas they had behind it. So, he made sure not to mention it to the other, knowing that would be a perfect opportunity for him to break out his plan. So, instead, he brought him things that had to do with the new builds and the idea for some type of man-made lake. Boring things that would hopefully lessen the man's interest in destroying some that he rightfully lost the ownership of.

He guessed, in the end, he could call that his saving grace, as the more and more things he brought, the less and less Wilbur seemed to take interest and he started distancing himself. Tubbo took that time to slowly stop showing up. Then the terrors started a few days after that. With Wilbur blowing the place up and outing Tubbo for knowing about it. The faces of betrayal that came from his friends, from Fundy and Quackity. From Schlatt. The look of anger and hurt crossed over his eyes as Wilbur took the time the ram was distracted to shoved a sword right through his back. To laugh as the man bleeds out in front of them. Hearing the distance cries and wails from those who lost everything, even someone they loved.

The dream was surreal, too surreal which is what led him to wake up in a cold sweat, tears sliding down his cheeks as he sat in silence. It took a moment for his brain to register where he was and that he was safe and Wilbur was nowhere to be found. 

He wiped his eyes and took a few slow breaths to regulate his breathing and slow the trembling that went out through his body,

_ I should really tell Schlatt. But what could he do? God knows where the button is and if Wilbur finds out that he knows, then...then that's it. _

He went back and forth, thinking of the scenarios that could take place. Maybe they could get to him before he presses the button, place him away or talk some sense in him. Maybe they could slowly start destroying the TNT? But, he's sure Wilbur probably checks on them. He didn’t know what they did in their free time, but he wouldn’t be surprised if the guy knew just how many were planted.

Still, the knowledge weighed on him the more and more he thought about it. He knew he  _ had  _ to say something, he  _ had  _ to let them know. But it also  _ had  _ to stay on the down-low.

Kicking off his blanket, he slipped on his slippers and headed towards his bedroom door. He stood there for a moment, gripping the handle, before yanking it open and started his way to Schlatt’s room. 

He didn’t think as he knocked on his door quietly, as he stood there listening to the soft groan that eliminated from the other side and a wave of nervousness washed over him like a wave. How he tried to ignore the feeling of nausea that twisted in his gut when the door opened revealing a half-asleep Schlatt lazily tying his robe on. 

A part of him wanted to turn around right then and there when yellow eyes peered down at him tiredly, his confusion most evident. 

“Tubbo?- Kid it's like-”

“I really, really need to speak with you Schlatt.” The rams voice was hoarse and low, as he tried not to make any eye contact with his in front of him.

“Can it wait till morning..”   
  
“I don’t think I’d be able to tell you then.”

A pause, before a soft sigh and Schlatt stepped aside allowing Tubbo to briskly walk in.

He walked deeper into the room, fidgeting with his hands as Schlatt trailed behind him. The man gestured to one of the chairs as he sat down on his bed. 

“Okay spill.” Schlatter voice was impatient, but Tubbo couldn’t really blame him. It was the middle of the night and he knew how the ram felt about his sleep. 

“You remember how I told you about Wilbur and stuff..?”

“..Yes.”

Keeping his gaze to the ground, he took a deep breath before speaking again. “I didn't tell you everything, I kinda felt like I couldn’t. Like if I did, I’d cause something to happen.”

“Cause what to happen?”

“Will...Wilbur planted TNT under Manburg. I don’t know when or how, but he showed me proof that he did it and I only stayed with him for so long so that I could try and prevent him from doing anything. I didn't want to say anything because I didn't want anyone to create a sense and I thought I’d be able to talk some sense into him, but I can’t keep this to myself anymore I just-”

“Woah, Woah, Woah. Okay, slow the hell down. Calm yourself you’re gonna talk yourself to death.”

Tubbo tried to listen to the elder instructions, but the wave of relief that washed over him at the confession, mixed with the way Schlatt had taken the news so far, took a toll on him. He tried to wipe away the tears as they came rolling down his face, a small hiccup ripped from his throat before the sobs started.

Off to the side, Schlatt seemed to watch uncertainty. He wasn’t ever good with reassuring someone, especially when it came to children. He shifted uncomfortably, not knowing whether to make a move or not, though he knew he couldn’t just leave the kid there crying.

He silently cursed to himself as he got up from his spot on his bed and walked over to his secretary. He tried not to think too much as he pulled the crying teen close, rubbing circles in his back. The teen tensed in his grip but slowly started to relax, hand going over and gripping onto him like a lifeline.

They stayed like that for a while, Schlatt trying his best to calm and comfort the young ram with small reassurances. When everything thing seems to calm down, he pulled away, allowing the other to wipe his face. 

Clearing his throat, the president moved some hair from his own face and eyed the other. “You did the right thing by telling me, kid. I, uh, I’m sorry I’ve been harsh on ya. I’ll have to run this by the others, but we’ll make sure it doesn't get out, yeah?” 

A sniffle and nod in response.

“Do you uh, you need someone to be with you? I’m sure I can get Quackity-”

“Can I stay with you, please..? I’ll sleep on the floor or something I just..” The words fell off and as much as Schlatt wanted to turn the other away he thought against it.

“No, no kid. You can sleep here tonight. The beds all yours.”

“Where will you sleep?”

“I can sleep on the floor, I don’t mind.”

With slight hesitation, Tubbo nodded and got up from his pit on the chair to get ready for bed once more.

Schlatt pulled out some more blankets for himself as the other got situated in his bed. He knew well enough his back would be absolutely fucked by morning, but as he laid there taking a quick glance over in Tubbo’s direction, seeing how peaceful the other looked as he slept contrasted to the wreck he was moments before. He deemed it worth it in the long run.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed! If you have any requests or ideas let me know!


	5. Authors note!

Okay, I know it’s been a hot second but I am still working on the chapters so no worries! I needed to take a small break, but I feel refreshed now so it’s back to business! 

I have also figured out how I want to do this story from now on. As of now, I’m writing all the chapters leading up to the festival and a small bit of the aftermath, then planning to post two at a time depending on how many chapters I write. Then after I’ll be writing a one-shot fic in between like how it was with the Christmas story.

I wanna continue doing this type of layout within between parts of the story, especially the angst bits as there will be a lot more of those, I do one-shots that of course have to do with the Cabinet family. 

I already have one idea that was suggested, which is a beach one, so that will be posted after I finish the upcoming chapters. So if you have any suggestions on one-shot ideas let me know!

I also wanted to give a heads up on future chapters, as they will be involving some topics like panic attacks, death mentions, alcohol abuse, etc, further into the story. I will be putting warnings in ahead of time, but this is just a heads up that the story may take a few dark turns here and there.

Other than that, thank you for your patience! I’ll try and get the chapters out as soon as possible! Love you all and thanks for the support! <3


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